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Can deadly Geaney derail the Crokes?

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CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Dr Crokes v Dingle

Sunday, April 29 at 2.30pm

(Austin Stack Park) 

Dingle are a good side. The bookies have them as second favourites to win the County Championship and their unblemished record in the Club Championship to date speaks for itself. It would certainly be unfair to call them a one-man team.

But in Paul Geaney the men from the west have one of the deadliest forwards in the country. If the Crokes are to secure a second consecutive Kerry Club Football Championship, they’ll need a special plan for the former All-Star forward. If current form is anything to go by, it’ll be easier said than done.

Geaney bagged six of Dingle’s eight goals in the group stage as they made relatively light work of Kenmare, Rathmore and Legion and if the reigning champions aren’t careful, the 27-year-old is more than capable of putting them to the sword.

The good news for the Crokes is that they have actually been extremely stingy in defence so far this year. The Lewis Road club have kept three straight clean sheets in the County League and altogether Shane Murphy has only been beaten three times in their six games up to this point. Keeping Geaney and Dingle goalless on Sunday would surely lead to a fifth Club Championship in seven years for Pat O’Shea’s men because, apart from that anomaly against Glenbeigh-Glencar (0-9 to 0-9) on the opening day of the league, they’ve registered at least 18 points in every game this season.

The finalists met in Páirc an Ághasaigh last week in the County League but a number of regulars were missing from both sides. Encouragingly for the Crokes, a number of youngsters made valuable contributions, most noticeably the prodigious David Shaw and Mark O’Shea who scored 1-2 and 1-1 respectively. Michael Potts also chipped in with three points and Jack Griffin came off the bench to add 0-2 as the visitors ran out 2-12 to 0-7 winners.

Colm Cooper was the only old head in the forward division, which was made up by Paul Clarke, Gavin O’Shea, Potts, Shaw and Mark O’Shea. The likes of Daithí Casey, Kieran O’Leary, Brian Looney and Tony Brosnan are likely to come back in for the decider but the new brigade did their chances of breaking into the starting 15 no harm at all.

Gooch and co. will undoubtedly be favourites to prevail but Dingle will have fond memories of the 2015 Club Championship final when they halted Crokes’ quest for four-in-a-row with a memorable 2-12 to 0-14 win. If their free-scoring talisman can continue his rich vein of form, another major upset could be on the cards – although it would also take a very bad day at the office from the Crokes.

 

Verdict: Crokes by six

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Eight month wait for a driving test in Killarney

A Killarney councillor is calling for action in an effort to reduce the driving test wait list in Killarney The current wait list for a test in Killarney sits at […]

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A Killarney councillor is calling for action in an effort to reduce the driving test wait list in Killarney

The current wait list for a test in Killarney sits at eight months.

Cllr John O’Donoghue raised the issue at Monday’s full meeting of Kerry County Council.

He proposed that driving instructors should be employed to carry out the final test to reduce the current backlog.

At Monday’s meeting he asked that hat Kerry County Council would write to the Minister for Transport to ask him to consider giving driving instructors temporary powers to issue a temporary Driving Licence/Certificate of Competence to those on the waiting list for tests.

“The wait is currently far too long and the system is in danger of becoming completely overwhelmed,” he said.

“The huge waiting list for young drivers is well documented at this stage. In a case I am familiar with, a young person passed their theory test in January 2022 and he immediately applied for his mandatory 12 driving lessons. When these were completed, he applied for his driving test on the 2nd of December 2022. Some weeks ago, he still had not received an application to apply for his driving test. This wait is placing him and his family under considerable extra cost and stress which is completely unacceptable.”

In the course of his research into the matter Cllr O’Donoghue discovered that the next available date for a driving test in Killarney is May 25, 2024, while Tralee is June 3 2024.

“Bear in mind, these are only the dates on which you receive an invitation to book your test, the test itself will then be an estimated three to five weeks later.

“This is an appalling situation and one which needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency. I am proposing that driving instructors, which presumably are fully trained up on the rules of the road, be granted temporary powers to be allowed to issue temporary driving licences to young people. When the waiting list time has been reduced, I would still propose that these people sit the test as usual, but the current pressure needs to be alleviated as soon as possible. There is precedent as I believe that in the 1970s, a cohort in this country were issued driving licences without having sat a test as the wait time for the test was too long.”

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Ballymac charity vintage run on October 1

The Ballymac Vintage Club is hosting a classic car, tractor and Honda 50 run on October 1. The run will leave from and return to the Halfway Bar, Ballymac. Registration […]

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The Ballymac Vintage Club is hosting a classic car, tractor and Honda 50 run on October 1.

The run will leave from and return to the Halfway Bar, Ballymac.

Registration begins at 9:30am and sets off at 11am.

“There will be two separate routes with one for tractors and the other for cars and motorbikes. Proceeds on the day are in aid of Castleisland Day Care Centre and we’ll have plenty of spot prizes to giveaway too in the morning,” said the club’s PRO Kieran Glover.

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